Coastal Flood Resilience
Storm Proofing Neighborhoods and Critical Infrastructure
Photo credit: Mark Peterson
Theory of Change
Climate risks
Greater Boston is very lucky not to have experienced extreme storms as have many other coastal regions. We need to ensure our transit, energy, food, and water systems can withstand today and tomorrow’s record storms.
Where we are
Lower Mystic contains the densest concentration of both critical regional infrastructure and environmental justice residents in New England, making our region disproportionately at risk of harm from coastal flooding.
What we’re doing
Based on equity-centered research on risks to critical infrastructure and and other inland neighborhoods, we are actively designing, permitting, and constructing regional multi-benefit coastal solutions.
Progress to Date
Centering Social Equity in Preparing Critical Infrastructure for Extreme Storms
The Lower Mystic Watershed hosts the highest concentration of critical regional infrastructure north of New York City along with tens of thousands of low-income BIPOC residents. The RMC worked with managers of critical infrastructure facilities and community based organizations serving predominantly low-income BIPOC residents and workers to complete a combined infrastructure and social vulnerability assessment for a predicted 2050 1% coastal storm event.
Blocking Key Flood Pathways in the Lower Mystic and Charles Rivers
The Amelia Earhart and Charles River Dams currently provide significant protection from coastal flooding to nine upstream communities. Within the next 10 to 20 years, the dams will begin flanking and overtopping during coastal storms. The 2020 MassDOT Massachusetts Coastline Flood Risk Model (MC-FRM) was adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as best available climate science.
In addition to the dams, the RMC identified seven other major coastal flood pathways. The RMC is working with Mass DCR, US Army Corps of Engineers, the Cities of Everett and Chelsea, and others to elevate each of these flood pathways to prevent flooding to the predicted 2070 1% coastal storm.